And Then I Read: THE TRIAL OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

Okay, lots of things waiting for reviews, and I'm starting with this one because I enjoyed it so much. I'm not a big mystery fan, but the A. Conan Doyle Holmes stories are an exception. I'd never read a comic that captured the true flavor and excitement of those stories until now. Writers Leah Moore and John Reppion start with a brilliant idea: putting Holmes himself on trial for murder, and they execute it perfectly, showing the reader the entire crime set up and aftermath except for the few minutes that Holmes was alone in a locked room with the victim. Holmes then goes on the run, but is soon caught, jailed, and put on trial. Meanwhile, Dr. Watson and Inspector LeStrade are doing what they can to investigate the crime, but against the wishes of Holmes himself. Moore and Reppion bring great insight to the supporting cast and their moral dilemmas, while keeping us out of Holmes' own head, all the while playing fair with the reader about the murder, something that is very hard to do in a comic, where any visual clue is liable to become obvious quickly. How will the great detective get out of this one? What really happened in that locked room? It's a corker!

The art, while not bad, is not as successful as the writing. Artist Aaron Campbell has a tendency to put a lot of lines on faces, especially older ones like Watson and Mrs. Hudson, but his ink line is heavy and it tends to look more like dirt than wrinkles. Another problem, not really his fault, is that all the men in the story dress essentially alike, so at times it's not clear who is who, especially in long shots. Campbell's depiction of Holmes is not very distinctive, either, it lacks the strong profile that made the character work on the large and small screens, and even on the fine cover by John Cassaday. That said, he handles the storytelling well, and his period settings and costumes look good.

If you enjoy mysteries, and especially Sherlock Holmes ones, this is terrific reading and highly recommended.